Processors are turning pork bellies into palettes for creating new flavors that attract consumers seeking easy to prepare and convenient meal solutions that also taste great.

Innovations in bacon flavors have launched onto the market steadily throughout 2024: the Hormel Black Label brand released Garlic Rosemary, a new flavor of its premium bacon aimed at millennial and Gen Z consumers who are driving demand for exciting and sophisticated flavors.

The brand also partnered with General Mills’ Cinnamon Toast Crunch on a limited-edition thick cut bacon that is hand-rubbed with Cinnadust seasoning on a thick-cut bacon held overnight for optimal flavor.

Wright Brand, a part of the Tyson Foods portfolio of brands, added the Sweet & Smoky Kentucky Bourbon Bacon. The new product launch was facilitated by Tyson Foods’ new $355 million food production facility that opened in Bowling Green, Ky., in January to support significant expansion of the company’s bacon production capacity.

“Swicy” — that combination of sweet and spicy — has come for bacon with the release of Daily’s Premium Meats’ Hot Honey and Spicy Maple flavored thick-cut bacon.

“We’ve seen incredible excitement around sweet and spicy flavor profiles recently,” said Eric Hamilton, director of product innovation for Daily’s Premium Meats. “We worked closely with our research team members to monitor, track and ultimately pick flavors, such as Hot Honey and Spicy Maple, that will resonate with consumers who are looking for more bold flavors that make mealtimes memorable.”

A newcomer to pork bacon, Godshall’s launched its first branded pork bacon product, a Hickory Smoked Uncured Pork Bacon. Godshall’s is currently the market leader in beef bacon and America’s third-largest turkey bacon brand, according to the company.

SLOW growing

According to the 2024 Power of Meat report, bacon was the only subcategory of processed meat with pound gains. Circana reported bacon sales of $6.6 billion in 2023, a decline of 7.8% compared to 2022. However, volume sales during 2023 totaled 1.1 billion lbs, a 0.6% increase over volume sales reported in 2022.

Consumers remain concerned about food prices. Although, in “Bacon and Lunchmeat — US — 2023,” Kamari Davis, research analyst, food and drink at Mintel, said higher prices didn’t deter consumers from buying bacon — or seeking opportunities to upgrade.

“More than six in 10 category participants report no change in category consumption, demonstrating that the impact of elevated prices was limited in both directions; as consumers cut back to economize and also downgraded to offset higher prices elsewhere,” the report said.

Bacon ticks a lot of boxes for consumers seeking flavorful, easy to prepare and convenient meal solutions. That’s why, despite shifts in availability and prices, consumers continue to rely on bacon as an affordable and versatile protein in the face of negative news about the healthfulness of bacon and other processed meats.